Jury selection began on Thursday for Chaka Fattah Jr. who is accused of misusing federal education contracts to pay personal expenses.
The trial of a veteran Philadelphia congressman's son accused of federal bank and tax fraud got underway Thursday.
Federal prosecutors began picking a jury Thursday as they prepared to present their case against 33-year-old Chaka "Chip" Fattah Jr.
Authorities say he misspent loans and some of the nearly $1 million in education funds he snagged as a school management subcontractor living in a $600,000 Ritz-Carlton condo.
But Fattah says the government has built its case on a "deck of cards." He's representing himself.
His father, Chaka Fattah, is an 11-term Democratic congressman who's accused in an unrelated case of misusing federal grants and charitable donations. He has denied wrongdoing.
The elder Fattah -- who is married to news anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah , who is currently on leave from NBC10 -- was charged in July with racketeering conspiracy, money laundering and other crimes.
